Investigative journalist Andrei Soldatov was interviewed by Jian Ghomeshi on 18 February. From the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Ghomeshi talked to Soldatov about the surveillance infrastructure Russia set up in anticipation of the Olympic Games. He shares insight on how closely people are being watched, and why it’s hard to know what authorities are looking for.
“It seems to me that some of these surveillance measures were conscientiously made public … to send a message,” says Soldatov, adding that he was contacted by many journalists after breaking the story, and most planned to be more cautious.
Self-censorship, he says, has become a “big problem” among local reporters, and even the dwindling number of investigative journalists.